Healthstones: A Useful Addition to Your Dabbing Setup

Every dab enthusiast has their ideal dab rig set-up. Whether it’s a bent neck inline rig or a lil chugger, there’s always room for improvements and upgrades to your stoney components. Terp pearls can distribute heat in your nail, while quartz inserts facilitate low-temp dabbing and keep your glass rig looking like new. One accessory that doesn’t get as much attention is the beloved and trusty healthstone.

Healthstones were released in 2010 by Aqualab Technologies in sunny California. Since then, this innovation has won the hearts and minds of dabbers everywhere. A healthstone’s porous nature provides a filtration effect that can allow you to enjoy your dabs in a new and exciting way.

What are healthstones?

Despite their name, dabbing from healthstones won’t give you a clean bill of health. Instead, healthstone dabs can last longer and be used on-the-go for any adventure. Healthstones are composed of two components: the carbon vapor stone that resembles a brillo pad or pumice stone and its adjoining pipe or vapor slide bowl that’s specially designed to fit the vapor stone. The stone is composed of an inert material that doesn’t produce any harmful vapors. The healthstone bowl is made from thick and tempered glass.

Benefits of healthstones

So, what’s all the hype surrounding healthstones? Healthstones are prized for their ease of use, convenience and portability. Standalone healthstone pipes are smaller than a traditional dab rig. Instead of hauling your behemoth of a rig when you head out with your friends, just grab the healthstone pipe and be prepared for some thick clouds and flavorful dabs.

Furthermore, the carbon stone’s low heat retention helps the concentrate vaporize more slowly compared to heating it on a dab nail. You can essentially dab at a slower pace and keep the smoke sesh going with less re-heating. Healthstones’ inert material doesn’t release any harmful vapors, so it won’t affect the taste of your dab. Keep in mind, most dab nail materials such as titanium, quartz, and ceramic are also inert.

How to use healthstones

Taking healthstone dabs is not much harder than using your traditional dab rig, especially if you’re familiar with the dabbing process. New users may have a difficult time finding the right angle and distance to use when heating the dab on the vapor stone. The tip of your torch flame should be at least a couple of inches away from your dab and healthstone. Another thing to note is that health stone vapor slides must properly fit snugly on a dab rig’s joint.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to take health stone dabs:

1. Insert the vapor stone into the appropriate health stone bowl. Ensure you’re inserting it correctly. Most vapor stones are tapered and require the smaller side to go in first.
2. Load the dab with your dabber onto the vapor stone inside the healthstone bowl. Some users recommend using a glass dabber or dabber with silicone tips to prevent scratching the stone. Any dabber will work as long as you are careful.
3. Use a small double or triple-flame windproof butane torch to melt, not burn, the concentrate on the healthstone. You should point the tip of the flame at the dab and find the right distance that gets the oil to melt and seep into the crevices of the porous stone pad.
4. Because the carbon retains minimal heat, you can inhale from the mouthpiece directly after heating the dab. Burning the dab can lead to harsh-tasting dabs.

How to clean health stones

Before you clean your healthstone, you must remove the stone from the healthstone bowl. To remove the vapor stone, heat the stone for a few seconds and tap it out onto a dab mat or other heat-resistant material. Feel free to use a dabber or poker to wedge it out if it gets stuck.

Cleaning healthstones is similar to cleaning other glass pieces. Here’s a step-by-step guide on cleaning all the components of healthstones:

1. Mix an isopropyl alcohol and course salt solution in a resealable bag. This bag will be used to clean the glass bowl/vapor slide bowl. Add some isopropyl alcohol into a small container big enough to fit the stone in.
2. Drop the healthstone in the container with isopropyl alcohol. Make sure there’s enough of the solution to cover the entire stone. Drop the glass piece into the resealable bag in the isopropyl alcohol and salt solution.
3. Shake the bag vigorously to dislodge any residue.
4. Leave the bag and bowl soaking overnight or for a few hours; the longer the better. Stones can be left to soak in the container for a couple of hours.
5. Rinse your stone in warm water.
6. Leave the stone out to dry on a towel for at least 30 minutes.
7. Remove the glass healthstone bowl from the bag, rinse, and dry.

Choosing the right healthstone

Healthstones can cost you anywhere from $20 to $30 per stone. You can purchase stones in various pack options to get them at a lower price individually. Vapor stones can last a year or longer, depending on your frequency of use. When the stone is hindering your dabs, it’s time to switch it out and put in a new one.

Final tips and tricks on healthstones

Healthstones don’t work very well with liquid concentrates. Because of the porous nature of vapor stones, liquid concentrate can end up falling through the stone and sticking to the inside of your healthstone pipe. Those are wasted dabs that you can’t enjoy. The best extracts for healthstones are shatter, wax, crumble, hash, and kief. Additionally, because you’re seeping dabs into the stone, you may end up with a mix of flavors from the dabs you’ve consumed.

While healthstones may not be user-friendly for new dabbers, they are an exciting and no-fuss way to take a dab at home or while you’re in the great outdoors. Seasoned dabbers should consider investing in a healthstone piece to incorporate into their smoke sessions. The more dab accessories the merrier.

—

What are your thoughts on healthstones? Have you ever used one before? Would you ever buy one? Let us know in the comments section below.